Calcutta tangled cabbage
Nisha Katona’s Calcutta tangled cabbage, which she calls ‘greens’ instead, from Mowgli Street Food “is,” she claims, “the best that Indians can do with the best of the humble, overwintered, robust, chlorophyll-rich, Great British veg.” A good simple dish, although in terms of the best of cabbage via Indian technique Madhur Jaffrey does give Katona a run for her rupee.
- 3 Tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
- heaped teaspoon mustard seed
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- heaped Tablespoon grated ginger
- a cored and shredded Savoy cabbage
- about ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- heaped teaspoon English mustard (like Colmans) “loosened with a little water”
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- heaped ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- juice of ½ lemon
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and fry the mustard seeds “until they fizz and pop.”
- Add the garlic and ginger and stir them about for about 30 seconds.
- Add the cabbage and remaining ingredients other than lemon juice, stir everything together, then cover the cabbage and cook it, stirring on a regular basis, until the cabbage is just tender, usually in about 20 minutes.
- Stir the lemon juice into the cabbage and serve it hot.
Notes:
- Clarified butter, usually disguised by the trendier label ghee, has become widely available in jars. Even Trader Joe’s has a house brand.
- Katona does not use it; she chooses vegetable oil instead.
- She also selects white cabbage instead of our preferred Savoy.
- We have increased the amount of each spice by a bit.
- Either black or yellow mustard is fine.